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Dear Friends,It is with joy and humility that I announce a Longwood Foundation grant of $80,000 to Good Neighbors Home Repair in support of our initiative to Restore Hope by Repairing Homes in northern New Castle County. The Longwood Foundation grant is designated to fund the repair of 20+ homes in 2018 and the infrastructure to continue increasing our impact and build long-term sustainability.

For over 25 years Good Neighbors has built strong relations with 20 area foundations who provide almost 50% of our annual budget. The Longwood Foundation, however, is known as having the most rigorous process of evaluation and examination. Through the six-month process we were called to examine every facet of our work:

Our fund-raising philosophy and methods

Our criteria for selecting new clients

Our methods for insuring that we are, in fact, restoring hope and not just creating a new dependency

Our processes to maximize both efficiency and effectiveness

This investment is targeted for New Castle County (NCC) and it will accelerate the work in The First State. To date, we have completed 23 Delaware projects, which means 75 individuals now have a better home. With this grant we should be able to double or triple our impact next year.

This is a one-time grant to begin our 5 year goal in NCC: to match the 100+ homes we do each year in Southern Chester County. The foundation was clear that we should continue to build a sustainable program. With this increase in repair funds, we will need even more volunteers and supporters in order to double our impact.

Today I received a note from a single mother of 7:"Before you came to my house to address my plumbing issues I had completely exhausted all the money I had trying to remedy the problem myself. I could barely meet my utility bills when the leak got worse and, consequently, caused a mold problem which severely affected my children's health. I am certain that God sent you in the nick of time to help us."

As we thank the Lord, the Foundation and our faithful friends, there are still many low-income families in desperate need of warmer, safer, drier and healthier homes. With your continued support and the Longwood Foundation funds, many more of these families will receive help from Good Neighbors.